Tributes have continued to pour in for Australian actor Heath
Ledger who was found dead in a New York apartment.

His former fiancee Michelle Williams and their two-year-old
daughter Matilda Rose were today flying from Sweden to New
York.

A clearly devastated Williams and Matilda left Trollhattan,
Sweden, where the 27-year-old actress had been shooting scenes for
the upcoming film Mammoth, said Martin Stromberg, a
spokesman for film production company Memfis Film.

"She received the news at her hotel late last night," Stromberg
said, adding he had not spoken to the actress after she learned of
Ledger's death.

The 28-year-old star's former girlfriend, Naomi Watts, broke
down in tears when told of Ledger's death while she was at the
Sundance Film Festival. She immediately cancelled all appearances
and left the festival.

However, other actors at the festival, including William H.
Macy, Jacqueline Bisset and Stanley Tucci expressed their
shock.

"He was a captivating person. His performance in Brokeback
Mountain was beautiful. Every time you saw that guy on screen
you just wanted to watch him," Tucci said.

"It's just sad, sad that he's gone. Too young, too young."

Overnight, other Hollywood power players paid tribute to Ledger,
who was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of gay cowboy
Ennis Del Mar in the 2005 movie, Brokeback Mountain.

That movie's director Ang Lee said working with Ledger was "one
of the purest joys of my life".

"Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life. He
brought to the role of Ennis more than any of us could have
imagined - a thirst for life, for love, and for truth and a
vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him. His death
is heartbreaking," Lee said.

His last finished role playing the Joker, in the upcoming Batman
movie The Dark Knight, was expected to launch him into
superstardom.

The man who played the Joker in a previous Batman movie, legend
Jack Nicholson, also lamented the loss of Ledger.

"It is really tragic when somebody that is gifted and talented
is cut down at the early part of their career, because we always
think about what more they could have offered the world in terms of
their talents," Nicholson said in London.

Morgan Freeman said: "It's a great loss to the industry.

"He was an enormous movie talent. It sounds like a tragic
accident."

Director Rob Reiner added: "It's unbelievably sad. I directed a
film (Stand by Me) with River Phoenix. He also died at a
young age. It's so tragic when someone dies at that age, for life
to be cut short."

Acclaimed Indian film director Shekhar Kapur, who directed
Ledger in 2002 movie The Four Feathers, reportedly phoned
the 28-year-old star on Monday after arriving in New York from
London.

"I last spoke to him on the night before he died," Kapur told
London's Evening Standard.

"He said he could not see me that night but really wanted to
meet me the next day. He made me promise that I would call him in
the morning and wake him up.

"I tried. Little did I know that his soul had already left his
body.

"He was one of the most gentle, the most honest, most caring and
most compassionate persons I had met," Kapur said.

Naomi Watts and Heath Ledger arrive at the premiere of <i>21 grams</i> at Dendy Opera Quays in Sydney in 2003. </i />

9060Andrew Meareshttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/frantic-calls-to-olsen/2008/01/24/1201025048591.htmlFrantic calls to Olsentext/html-externalhttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/no-drugs-on-heath-ledger-20-note-police/2008/01/24/1201025027376.htmlNo drugs on Heath Ledger $20 note: policetext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/police-provide-timeline-of-ledgers-final-moments/2008/01/24/1201025050275.htmlPolice provide timeline of Ledger's final momentstext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/heath-is-unconscious-i-dont-know-what-to-do/2008/01/24/1201025048591.html'Heath is unconscious, I don't know what to do!'text/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/web/net-meltdown/2008/01/24/1201025052926.htmlNet meltdowntext/html-externalhttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/heath-ledgers-death-strikes-a-chord/2008/01/24/1201025047245.htmlHeath Ledger's death strikes a chordtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/general/heath-ledger-death-drug-speculation/2008/01/24/1201025033064.htmlHeath Ledger death: drug speculationtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/the-sleepless-stress-of-a-troubled-star/2008/01/23/1201024937592.htmlThe sleepless stress of a troubled startext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/how-a-triumphant-return-turned-sour/2008/01/24/1201024994356.htmlHow a triumphant return turned sourtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/batty-baptists-threat-to-picket-ledger-funeral/2008/01/24/1201025043296.htmlBatty Baptists' threat to picket Ledger funeraltext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/a-touch-of-errol-flynn-in-shy-kid-from-perth/2008/01/23/1201024995242.htmlA touch of Errol Flynn in shy kid from Perthtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/unscripted-messages-flow-on-an-awful-day/2008/01/23/1201024995245.htmlUnscripted messages flow on an awful daytext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/ledger-taking-us-version-of-stilnox/2008/01/23/1201024963795.htmlLedger 'taking US version of Stilnox'text/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/fans-leave-flowers-candles-for-heath-ledger/2008/01/24/1201025031575.htmlFans leave flowers, candles for Heath Ledgertext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/friend-says-ledger-was-edgy-during-perth-holiday/2008/01/24/1201025031620.htmlFriend says Ledger was edgy during Perth holidaytext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/cowboy-will-carry-on-legacy/2008/01/23/1201024994404.htmlCowboy will carry on legacytext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/working-with-ledger-one-of-the-purest-joys/2008/01/24/1201025029743.htmlWorking with Ledger one of the purest joystext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/obituaries/actor-would-not-be-stereotyped/2008/01/23/1201024988374.htmlActor would not be stereotypedtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/how-heaths-death-was-reported/2008/01/23/1201024965746.htmlHow Heath's death was reportedtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/director-promised-to-wake-ledger-up/2008/01/24/1201025029529.htmlDirector promised to wake Ledger uptext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/philosophy-of-heath-ledger/2008/01/23/1201024953775.htmlPhilosophy of Heath Ledgertext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/general/timeline-of-heath-ledgers-life/2008/01/23/1201024948832.htmlTimeline of Heath Ledger's lifetext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/heath-ledgers-career/2008/01/23/1201024940436.htmlHeath Ledger's careertext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/ten-actors-who-died-in-their-20s/2008/01/23/1201024961111.htmlTen actors who died in their 20stext/html-documenthttp://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/your_say/017048.htmlHeath Ledger's life and deathtext/html-forumhttp://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/your_say/017048.htmlHeath Ledger's life and deathtext/html-forumhttp://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/your_say/017048.htmlHeath Ledger's life and deathtext/html-forumhttp://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/your_say/017048.htmlHeath Ledger's life and deathtext/html-forumhttp://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/your_say/017048.htmlHeath Ledger's life and deathtext/html-forumhttp://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/your_say/017048.htmlHeath Ledger's life and deathtext/html-forumhttp://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/your_say/017048.htmlHeath Ledger's life and deathtext/html-forumhttp://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/your_say/017048.htmlHeath Ledger's life and deathtext/html-forumhttp://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/your_say/017048.htmlHeath Ledger's life and deathtext/html-forumhttp://www.smh.com.au/heath-ledger/index.html<b>Heath files</b>text/html-document